The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-12-11

spare sail from the lazaret,o and made
myself n comfortable sleeping place among
the cargo When the absence OF light
showed me that evening had set In ate
hearty meal. which washed down win
a couple Of bottles Of wine
81 then concluded that IL would do me
no harm If gave the Spaniards little
scare. climbed up into the lazaretto
and, going 20 the port, stuck my head out
and yelled: ship ahoy-helpH several
times ! could hear people talking and
running about on deck, and ! had no
douht that the superstitiOus Spaniards
thought that my ghost was after them
Next morning, when awoke with head
nche. blamed myself for having alarmed
the crew needlessly, but when had
bracod up with little wine felt that by
keeping the Spaniards under the impres-
sion that the vessel was haunted they
would be very chary about yenturing
down into the hold and that consequently
the danger Of ny being discovered would
be leSsened Every night, therefore, ]
went up 10 the port and. sticking my head
ont. yelled n few times for help. My cries
were no longer followed by noises on deck,
and concluded that when the poor Span
iards heard my ghostly cries they remained
stiN and trembled.
Late one afternoon lay with my head
out OF the port getting some fresh air and
watching the water, which seemed
strangely calm. ! had been having alto
gcther too much wine, and ! was now
feeling the bad effects Of il. felt regu-
larly melancholy, somehow, as ! watched
the smooth waves ] happened TO look
out 20 leeward, and ! saws q boat. In IL
were the captain and about half Of the
crew. They were rowing away from the
bark They soon drifted little forward
OF the line that / could see from the port.
and lost sight Of them. Then IL flashed
over me that they had deserted the bark
because they thought that she was haunt
ed Probably the mate and the rest Of
the crew had gone away in the other boat.
crawled through the lazarettO and over
the cargo 10 the trap door in the lit
tie room where ! had slept ] tried the
door, but 10 would not move some
barrels Of stores had evidently been placed
over the trap door ! cried out several
times. but received no answer had no
doubt that every one had deserted the
vessel felt that ] was doomed 10 sink
with the abandoned vessel. ] crawed
back 10 my resting place and took bottle
of wine. but instead Of cheering me up.
10 depressed me ] went back % the port
and sound that the sun had set My
thoughts became so gloomy that / could
not bear them. A feeling Of terror took
possession Of me, and ! deliberately
,rott.IoT fGrpurh the mort and lrOUppl
head foremost into the sea.
when ] came 10 the surface ! heard
cries. and saw boat dashing up 70 me
] was seized Icy the hair and dragged into
the boat Here ! saw the captain and
several Of his crew The captain had
merely been 10 visit the master of another
Spanish vessel. which lay becalmed a
/ short distance from the bark. and on his
way back had seen me plunge out OF the
port hole ] was h0isted ON board The
captain and the mate had an animated
/ discussion in Spanish. which was followed
| by the mates hurryiug down into the
/ hold. awaited his return with trembling
| / felt sure that. after discovering the hole
/ I bad made n the cargo the mate wouid
| thrash me within an inch of my life. lie
came mp OH deck ! expected go oc
knocked down But instead of that The
mate rau 90 me. and. throwing his arms
around mc. embraced me in % delighted
manner 10 took mc "a moment on TWO go
realize that the mate was delighted 90
Z find that Dis superstiti0us fears were
/ uouudiess and that the bark, after ail.
| had not been haunted. New York
/ Times